Forgiveness Profiles Reveal the Protective Role of Divine Forgiveness in Psychological Adaptation to Fibromyalgia

Kurzfassung/Abstract

Fibromyalgia is a chronic, centrally sensitized pain condition frequently accompanied by psychological distress, making psychosocial resources important for adaptation. This study examined dispositional forgiveness profiles in 236 women with fibromyalgia across four forgiveness domains: self, others, situations, and divine forgiveness. Latent profile analysis identified four subgroups: low divine–low human forgiveness, high divine–moderate human forgiveness, high divine–high human forgiveness, and low divine–high human forgiveness. Forgiveness profiles differed significantly in depression, anxiety, and anger, but not in fibromyalgia severity/impact, which nonetheless correlated negatively with forgiveness of self, others, and situations. Women low in both divine and human forgiveness showed the most unfavorable outcomes, whereas those high in both domains reported the most favorable outcomes. The remaining two profiles showed intermediate results, with outcomes less positive when divine forgiveness was low. These findings suggest that forgiveness—especially divine forgiveness—represents a meaningful dispositional resource linked to psychological resilience in fibromyalgia and may complement established therapeutic interventions.